Nicola Sturgeon in single market warning as she puts SNP on war footing for independence referendum

Nicola Sturgeon has signalled she may call a second independence referendum if the UK leaves the EU single market under the Brexit deal as she put the SNP on a war footing with a three-month campaign blitz.

The First Minister argued that Theresa May has no “clear mandate” to take any part of the UK out of the single market and she would not let this happen to Scotland “without a battle”.

But she delayed making a final decision on whether to call a second independence referendum for at least three months to give the Nationalists more time to drive up flagging public support for the move and address their dire economic case.

The First Minister temporarily eased huge pressure from her party’s rank-and-file members to call a referendum in the wake of the Brexit vote by ordering them to canvass two million Scots about separation and its consequences.

She announced a series of town hall meetings, a new website with a survey about independence and a commission that will consider how Scotland’s £15 billion deficit, which is proportionally larger than Greece’s, could be reduced to a level acceptable to the EU for membership.

The process will be completed on St Andrew’s Day, November 30, giving time for more details of the UK’s negotiating position in the upcoming Brexit talks to emerge and for Ms Sturgeon to gauge more accurately the likelihood of victory in a second referendum.

The First Minister also claimed the UK Government was bluffing by raising the prospect of a hard border with Scotland. Her spokesman insisted it would have open borders with both England and the EU despite Mrs May’s immigration red line.

Ms Sturgeon will make a final decision on whether to press ahead with a new referendum following the three-month “listening exercise” but opposition politicians pointed to a new You Gov opinion poll showing a minority of Scots want another vote and most would vote No if one was held.

Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, accused her of ignoring Scots’ priorities “in pursuit of her own narrow nationalist agenda” by “reheating” the independence debate at a time when the country needs stability.

Nicola Sturgeon warned Scotland must remain part of the EU single marketCredit:
AFP

In a speech to SNP MPs, MSPs and MEPs, Ms Sturgeon argued the new campaign would not be a rerun of the 2014 referendum because the Brexit vote and the collapse of Labour had made the argument that the Union was a “safe harbour” for Scotland “completely redundant”.

Warning that Scotland now faces the prospect of being taken out of the single market, she told Theresa May: "As First Minister, I am not prepared to stand by and watch that happen without a battle.”

She added: "My message to the Prime Minister is this: You may have a mandate in England and Wales to leave the EU but you do not have a clear mandate to take any part of the UK out of the single market."

She also claimed Labour's decision "to press the self-destruct button" left the country facing "years, perhaps decades, of Tory government".

The SNP leader stated: "There is now the very real possibility we are witnessing the end of Labour as a force to be reckoned with in British politics, perhaps the end of the Labour Party full stop."

She announced that her party’s 120,000 activists will hit the doorsteps to ask Scots’ views on separation using a new pack of survey cards

Her MPs, MSPs and MEPs will each be expected to hold at least one town hall meeting to convince voters in their constituencies they should back Scottish independence and a new website has been launched asking for Scots’ views.

Ms Sturgeon added: "We want to understand in detail how people feel about Europe, Brexit and independence. We want to know the concerns people have and the questions they want answered. We want to build, if we can, a consensus on the way ahead."

The First Minister added that "tough issues" will not be ducked, including Scotland’s £15 billion deficit, which is higher than even Greece’s as a percentage of GDP.

She announced the new growth commission, which will be chaired by former MSP and RBS executive Andrew Wilson, will consider how to reduce the deficit to a “sustainable level” and which currency should be used.

Ms Davidson said: “Nicola Sturgeon has shown today that she is prepared to ignore the priorities of the people of Scotland in pursuit of her own narrow nationalist agenda.

"If she was really listening, she would know that most of us don't want to go back to another divisive referendum debate - we want Scotland to move on.”

Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said the First Minister had "given up on anything but a second independence drive". He added: "It is time Nicola Sturgeon got back to the day job.”